37: Chapter 37 Pure Heart Bamboo

Qin Muchuan parried repeatedly, forced into a continuous retreat.

It was not as if he had never experienced slaughter; the tempering of Sword Intent in Zangjian Valley had made his will far tougher than that of other Cultivators at his level.

Yet this "self" before him was vicious in every move, lethal in every strike, as if it knew all his combat habits like the back of its hand.

"It is useless."

That "Qin Muchuan" spoke while attacking, its voice ice-cold and biting.

"I am you, and I understand everything about you. Your weaknesses, your hesitation, your fear—I know them all."

Qin Muchuan gritted his teeth, not saying a word.

He knew this was an illusion, knew that this "self" before him was manifested by a Heart Demon.

But knowing was one thing, and overcoming it was quite another.

That "Qin Muchuan" thrust with its sword, aiming straight for his heart.

Qin Muchuan dodged to the side, but the sword blade sliced his arm, and blood splattered.

A sharp pain surged, yet Qin Muchuan suddenly laughed.

"You say you are me?"

He raised his head, his eyes no longer holding a shred of hesitation.

"Then you should know that I, Qin Muchuan, fear nothing more than risking my life!"

Before the words had even faded, he stopped parrying and instead met the blade of that "Qin Muchuan" with a slash of his own.

Trading injury for injury, life for life.

That "Qin Muchuan" clearly had not expected him to do this and was slightly stunned.

It was in that moment of hesitation that Qin Muchuan's longsword fell.

"Snap!"

That "Qin Muchuan," along with the entire battlefield, shattered like a mirror.

Qin Muchuan's figure tumbled out from the cracks, landing in the real bamboo forest.

He gasped for air, his body soaked in cold sweat.

"Not bad."

A faint voice came from beside him.

Qin Muchuan looked up to see Zhou Tianchen sitting cross-legged not far away, watching him.

"Third Senior Brother."

Qin Muchuan grinned and struggled to stand up.

Zhou Tianchen nodded slightly, his gaze falling on the wound on Qin Muchuan's arm.

"How is the injury?"

Qin Muchuan looked down to see the wound slowly healing, and he shook his head.

"Just a flesh wound, it is nothing."

He walked over to sit beside Zhou Tianchen and let out a long breath.

The next moment, Su Fuguang's figure appeared out of thin air before the two.

He staggered a step, then steadied himself.

Qin Muchuan opened his eyes, looked at Su Fuguang, and smiled: "Little Guang, you have come out too."

Shortly after, Lu Jinghan's figure also appeared before them.

"Great Master!" the three shouted in unison.

Lu Jinghan's gaze swept over the three, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly: "Not bad, you all made it out."

He paused, his tone turning solemn: "The illusion in the Purple Bamboo Forest is just an appetizer; the true test is yet to come."

"Understood!" the three responded in unison.

Lu Jinghan nodded and began walking toward the depths of the bamboo sea.

Zhou Tianchen, Qin Muchuan, and Su Fuguang followed closely behind, their eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly.

The Purple Bamboo Forest was far larger than they had imagined.

The stalks of purple bamboo towered into the clouds, crystalline and translucent, as if carved from purple jade.

The bamboo leaves rustled, swaying in the Spiritual Qi-filled wind, scattering specks of purple light.

The ground was covered in a thick layer of bamboo leaves; stepping on them felt soft, as if treading on clouds.

The air was filled with a faint bamboo fragrance, refreshing to the senses.

"What dense Spiritual Qi." Zhou Tianchen sighed softly.

Qin Muchuan also nodded: "It is more than ten times stronger than the outside world."

Su Fuguang did not speak, but his gaze remained fixed on the depths of the bamboo sea, his expression wary.

Lu Jinghan walked at the very front, his pace steady and his direction clear, as if he had long known where to go.

In fact, he did know.

In his past life, he had spent three whole months in the Purple Bamboo Forest.

He knew exactly where the Opportunities were, where the dangers lay, which paths were dead ends, and where the paths to survival were.

And his first goal for this trip was the heart-cleansing bamboo.

The heart-cleansing bamboo was a Heaven And Earth Treasure unique to the Purple Bamboo Forest, growing only an inch every hundred years and a foot every thousand years.

It was pure white throughout, containing not a speck of impurity, as if carved from mutton-fat jade.

For low-level Cultivators, the heart-cleansing bamboo was a supreme treasure for breaking through Bottlenecks and resisting Heart Demons.

For high-level Cultivators, the heart-cleansing bamboo was an even more essential Material for refining Heaven Rank Medicinal Pills or Heaven Rank Magic Treasures, something that could be sought but not found.

In his past life, Lu Jinghan had learned of a stalk of heart-cleansing bamboo, but unfortunately, he had arrived a step too late, and it had already been taken by someone else.

But things were different now.

The group walked cautiously through the bamboo sea.

Lu Jinghan stopped and went, sometimes tilting his head to listen, sometimes looking up to observe, as if judging the direction or perhaps avoiding something.

Qin Muchuan followed behind and could not help but ask in a low voice: "Great Master, where are we going?"

"To find something." Lu Jinghan did not turn his head.

"What thing?"

"The heart-cleansing bamboo."

The three of Qin Muchuan exchanged a look, a flash of confusion in their eyes.

They had never heard of this name before.

Lu Jinghan did not explain, simply continuing to walk forward.

After walking for about an hour, the bamboo sea before them suddenly began to thin out.

In its place was an open space.

In the center of the clearing grew a patch of purple bamboo, taller and denser than those outside, the bamboo stalks emitting a faint fluorescence that was quite beautiful.

Lu Jinghan stopped, his gaze falling on that patch of purple bamboo, his brows slightly furrowed.

"What is it?" Zhou Tianchen sensed a change in his expression and asked in a low voice.

Lu Jinghan did not answer, only raising his hand to signal everyone to stop.

He closed his eyes, spreading his Divine Sense, cautiously exploring everything around them.

A moment later, he opened his eyes and said in a low voice: "There is something here."

Before the words had finished, that dense patch of purple bamboo suddenly emitted a violent rustling sound, as if some massive creature was moving through it.

The four took a step back in unison, each gripping their weapons.

Amidst the swaying bamboo shadows, a massive black shape lunged out.

It was a giant bear, its entire body as black as ink.

It stood three zhang tall, its four limbs as thick as pillars.

A pair of blood-red eyes stared fixedly at the four, saliva dripping from its mouth, emitting a foul, fishy stench.

"Black Iron Bear!" Qin Muchuan gasped, "And it is a Nascent Soul Mid Stage Black Iron Bear!"

The Black Iron Bear was a Yao Beast known for its defense, its fur as tough as iron, making it difficult for ordinary Nascent Soul stage Cultivators to inflict even the slightest injury.

The Black Iron Bear before them, with its massive size and powerful aura, was clearly at the Nascent Soul Mid Stage.

In this Purple Bamboo Forest, where those above the Soul Transformation Stage could not enter, a Nascent Soul Mid Stage Black Iron Bear was an almost invincible existence.

The Black Iron Bear let out a roar toward the sky, the shockwave causing the bamboo leaves to fall in a flurry.

Immediately after, it raised a thick front paw and slammed it down toward the four.

The wind from the strike whistled, like Mount Tai pressing down upon them.

The four dodged in unison, barely avoiding the blow.

The Black Iron Bear's front paw struck the ground, mud splattering as a three-foot-deep pit was smashed into the earth.

"What terrifying strength!" Su Fuguang's expression changed slightly.

Seeing this, Lu Jinghan's expression was also grave.

When he had come here in his past life, the Black Iron Bear he encountered had only been at the Golden Core Stage.

He had not expected things to have changed in this life; if he hadn't met his Revered Master and gained a great Opportunity, it might be difficult to contend with the Black Iron Bear before them.